As an EX club car racer who then went into flying there always used to be multiple signs around race tracks informing spectators that racing is dangerous and spectators attended at their own risk.
Putting high speed vehicles close to spectators always carries a risk that a crash can involve spectators.
I will add that before car racing we went through scrutineering where the cars were closely examined to be sure they were fit for racing.
I presume the same is done with Air racing?
Watching car rallying where spectators stood in their hundreds alongside mountain forest tracks it was always an amazement to me that more were not killed.
I circuit raced back in the early 80s spectators were still very close and vulnerable to a car departing the circuit and leaping the Armco barriers.
There were fatalities and spector areas were moved further and further back from the action with other means brought in to stop cars reaching the spectator areas.
That is all well and good but at what put does the thrill factor for spectators go?
Spectators watch racing of any kind for the thrill factor.
I know little about air racing but high speed low level would imagine that a pilot with anything not being right would pitch to gain altitude as altitude is his saviour.
Pitching an aircraft with control problems could in itself aggravate those problems where a reduction in power and level speed would have been a better option but pitching must be an inbuilt reaction with racers?
What is likely to happen from this tragic event? I would imagine that Reno Follows car racing and place spectators further and further away from the action to a point that the thrill factor diminishes.
Pace